My name is Stephanie Navarrete, and I am fighting for my husband, Mario Navarrete, a United States Army veteran who has now spent 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.

Mario was 24 years old, and had been home less than 36 hours from combat in Iraq, when his life was permanently altered—not by justice, but by an overly broad law that punishes presence as if it were murder.

The Truth Matters

Mario:

Did not kill anyone

Did not touch the murder weapon

Did not touch the victim’s body

Did not know a murder was about to occur

Did not witness the fatal stabbing

He was convicted under Georgia’s felony murder statute, which allows the state to sentence someone as a murderer without proof that they killed, intended to kill, or even knew a killing would occur.

In Mario’s case, being present was enough to receive the same punishment as the person who committed the actual murder.

The Injustice Is Clear

The sentencing outcomes in this case expose a system completely detached from proportionality:

One man present took a plea deal and received 5 years on paper
Another man—who burned the victim’s body—served 20 years
The man who committed the actual murder received life with parole

Mario—who never touched the weapon or the body—received the same punishment as the killer.

That is not justice.

That is punishment without proportion.

A Veteran Sent From War to Prison

Mario went from a war zone overseas to a prison war zone at home.

There was:

No decompression
No treatment for combat trauma
No support to transition back into civilian life

Instead, the state responded with maximum punishment.

Now, 23 years later, the Georgia Parole Board continues to deny him release using the same recycled language:

“Due to the nature of the offense.”

“Not enough time served.”

If 23 years is still “not enough,” then parole is not real.

It is a closed door disguised as a process.

Why This Petition Matters

Parole is supposed to consider who a person is today—their growth, rehabilitation, accountability, and whether continued incarceration serves any legitimate public safety purpose.

Mario is not the traumatized 24-year-old soldier he once was.

He is a 46-year-old man who has taken responsibility for his presence, demonstrated growth, and paid—over and over again—for something he did not physically do.

This petition calls on decision-makers to:

Grant Mario a meaningful parole review
Acknowledge the gross sentencing disparity

Recognize that felony murder should not equal automatic life

Restore humanity and proportionality to this case

How You Can Help

By signing and sharing this petition, you are standing up for:

Veterans failed by the justice system
Families torn apart by excessive sentencing

A parole process that must mean something

Justice that includes truth, context, and humanity

Mario deserves to come home.

Please sign, share, and help us make this injustice impossible to ignore.

Justice delayed is justice denied.

Stephanie Navarrete

CEO / Founder, WorldWide Chain Breakers

Advocate for Justice Reform

Justice for Mario